Category: Ava Shea Feinstein

This week was so busy and so much fun. Going from the outskirts of Milan to Treviso then Venice; I’ve never felt more worldly. And while the sights were amazing, what really stood out to me this week was the human connection.

 

The fact that we were able to see so many amazing places and meet so many wonderful people is a true testament to the power of connection. The majority of this trip so far has been made possible because Kate has made such wonderful friends throughout her career. Seeing this group become friends has been so heart warming. Our group has blossomed, and every stop was so exciting and full of playful banter. 

Not only that, but there were so many connections with random strangers along the way. There were the lovely tourists at the grave site that took time to chit chat with Kate Cate. The magic waiter from our lunch, showing all of his lovely tricks. Even the owner of the restaurant in Treviso gave us a little tour of her closed bakery. I even met a lovely older couple from Oxford, England at the Biennale who I am going to go visit next month. Watching everyone connect has been so heart warming.

To finish off that week of travel, a couple of us made our way over to Lugano, Switzerland for a day trip. It was absolutely gorgeous (and absolutely expensive). While there, we actually met an American woman who had moved to Lugano 40 some years ago. It was so fun to see her excitement being able to talk about her life’s journey. People just want to connect and I think that has been one of the best parts of this trip so far.

So it turns out that when you are in walkable cities you WALK. I have loved being able to get places without needing a car and I think I have been much more observant because of it. There is so much visual diversity within every street that we walk down, both in color and style.

 I don’t know if this is because I am walking everywhere and I just don’t as much in Austin, but the streets feel like they are meant to be experienced by people. In Austin (around campus), the buildings have very little embellishment. Most visual excitement can be found inside the buildings, but the outsides are bare bones. In Italy, every single facade has some level of artistry. Each building feels like it is competing with the one next to it while your eyes pull you down the street looking for the next contestant.

Milan is BEAUTIFUL! As soon as we got off the train from the airport my jaw dropped: the grandiose architecture, the greenery on every building, the COLORS. I think the vibrancy and architectural diversity is what truly blew me away. I can confidently say that I was not ready for the Duomo. Walking up those stairs from the metro with the light beaming in, and seeing that massive, incredibly intricate building; I don’t think I will ever forget that. The closer you got, the more astounding it became. The level of detail wasn’t (and still isn’t) comprehensible. Even as we are just beginning to explore the city, I can tell there are going to be so many amazing things to see and learn. I am beyond excited to explore!